The Daily Mail has an article from British nationalist Robert Hardman, on why England shouldn’t have its own national anthem or parliament and should continue as the last colony of the British Empire.

I didn’t think it was possible for a professional journalist to write such a long article and manage to miss the point entirely.  His argument against and English Parliament is the usual “we don’t want more politicians” – as we’ve said many times, an English Parliament doesn’t have to mean more politicians, just different politicians as three quarters of the British government will no longer be needed.  And even if it did mean more politicians (like it did when the Scots and Welsh got their government) then isn’t it up to the English whether they wish to pay for them or not?  Hardman says “we” don’t want more politicians but who is the “we” that he is speaking for?  His fellow British nationalists?  The Daily Mail?  The people at his golf club?  He doesn’t speak for me or the majority of CEP members and supporters who would gladly pay the cost of extra politicians if it meant that we got our Parliament.

His argument against an English national anthem is that God Save the Queen is the British national anthem and … well, there isn’t really an argument.  He says God Save the Queen is good enough and that we shouldn’t change it because other people (the Scots and Welsh often complain that the English use the British anthem, even though they don’t want to use it themselves) don’t like it.  He doesn’t mention that fact that there’s a lot of us that don’t like it – I personally can’t stand listening to the British national anthem being played before English sporting events and have to turn the channel over or at least mute the TV to avoid being thrown into a rant.

Hardman goes on to say that if, heaven forbid, the English might be allowed to express their identity through a national anthem of their own, Jerusalem wouldn’t be suitable because it’s not inclusive and multi-cultural enough as a Christian poem set to war music.  Jerusalam, of course, tops every poll on an English national anthem and the fact that it is a Christian poem (and a satire that appears to have been lost on Hardman) is irrelevant on account of England being a Christian country whose society is built on Christian values.

There is a poll with the article asking whether England should have its own national anthem currently showing 40% ifor “Yes” and 60% for “No, God Save the Queen is best”.  CEP members have reported mysterious problems with the poll telling them they’ve already voted when they haven’t but it’s important that as many people as possible persevere and vote for an English national anthem – the British nationalists are very well organised and will have been spamming the poll all day yesterday.